Nearly 200 radiology reports never sent to patients' referring providers, health authority says

A health authority in New Zealand is cautioning patients that their radiology results may have been inadvertently delayed recently. 

Staff at Te Tai Tokerau—a regional health authority in Northland, New Zealand—were informed that many of their patients may not have received their radiology results within a timely manner. Complaints stemming from said delays prompted Health NZ officials to look further into the issue, eventually leading them to discover that nearly 200 reports had not been sent to patients’ referring providers. 

An investigation revealed that the majority of the reports that were never shared were from June 2025, though some of them dated back as far as 2023. In total, 180 reports were affected by the delay, which officials have pinned on an “IT issue” with the system used to transmit reports between radiologists and referring providers. 

Alex Pimm, Health New Zealand Te Tai Tokerau group operations director,  informed staff and patients that a qualified radiologist has since reviewed each individual report to determine whether the delayed delivery may have caused any adverse consequences. 

Thankfully, that does not appear to be the case. 

"A senior radiologist has reviewed all affected reports, and any further action will be taken where appropriate," Pimm said. "Initial investigation has not identified any significant harm to patients, although we appreciate that any delay in providing diagnostic results can be anxious for patients and their [extended family]." 

Pimm apologized for the delay and encouraged any patients impacted by the issue to submit an inquiry for further investigation.